Tickets for Whittaker vs. Chimaev at UFC's First Event in Saudi Arabia Now on Sale

Tickets for Whittaker vs. Chimaev at UFC's First Event in Saudi Arabia Now on Sale
TT

Tickets for Whittaker vs. Chimaev at UFC's First Event in Saudi Arabia Now on Sale

Tickets for Whittaker vs. Chimaev at UFC's First Event in Saudi Arabia Now on Sale

The capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, is set to host the first event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world's premier mixed martial arts organization, on June 22. The main fight will be between Australian Robert Whittaker and Russian Khamzat Chimaev, SPA reported.
Tickets for the event are available to the public through the webook platform.
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-7-0) is returning to the octagon to continue his winning streak in the highly anticipated matchup at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh against Khamzat Chimaev. Whittaker, a professional mixed martial artist since 2009, has left a significant mark on the sport, becoming the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 213. He most recently defeated Brazil's Paulo Costa at UFC 298.
Chimaev (13-0-0) is looking to maintain his undefeated record and continue his rise in the middleweight rankings as a rising star. He has achieved six wins by knockout, five by submission, and eight wins in the first round.
As part of the UFC's inaugural event in the Kingdom, fans will witness an exhilarating showdown in the octagon as Russia's Sergei Pavlovich (18-2) faces compatriot Alexander Volkov (37-10) in a clash of heavyweight titans.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
TT

‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.